Book Review: Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen by Rae Katherine Eighmey

Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen:
A Culinary View of Lincoln’s Life and Times
Rae Katherine Eighmey

A historical novel must read like a story, enriched by details about how protagonists and antagonists lived. While a writer might overindulge in specifics—food, lodging, transportation, clothing—a light touch enlivens the narrative. When I wrote Tempest at Dawn, an academic focus on daily life during the Revolution provided ample research. By contrast, similar cultural and routine details are rarer for the Civil War era. While books on common soldiers abound, my focus is the war's politics, not its battles.

Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen helped fill the void. I’m not a cook, so I merely scanned the fifty-five recipes, but these are surrounded by excellent descriptions of everyday life, especially food procurement, preparation, and consumption. Each chapter covers a specific historical period, and Eighmey does a good job of sleuthing out how Lincoln lived, and she presents accurate period recipes.

I’m unqualified to review the recipes, but I have read enough period history to say that Eighmey did her homework, which gave me confidence to rely on her descriptions of mundane daily activities.

The subtitle, A Culinary View of Lincoln’s Life and Times, is more accurate than the main title. Eighmey does list a couple of references to Abe helping in the kitchen, but this did not appear to be frequent.

Most historians say that Lincoln was disinterested in food and ate lightly. My greatest insight from this book is that this common wisdom is only partially true. Lincoln enjoyed being around people and being the center of attention. Food is frequently prevalent when people gather, but telling stories without a mouthful hampers chowing down. In the right setting, Lincoln had a healthy appetite, but when distracted by thoughts or an audience, he could neglect to fuel his body. Another insight is that Mary was much more of a homemaker than generally conveyed. Reading about their pre-presidential life made me think their marriage was stronger than I had previously assumed.

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